Shabby to Chic in Acomb nominated for York Press award

Shabby to Chic in Acomb has been nominated by readers of The York Press as a contender in our Best Beauty Salon competition.

Readers can vote for the Best Beauty Salon 2024 by picking up a copy of The Press newspaper until Saturday, October 12, with the winner set to be announced in the week commencing October 21.

Katie Milner (Image: Supplied) Business owner Katie Milner said the salon started running around ten years ago.

They had nine years across the road from their current site in Front Street before moving to new premises opposite as they had outgrown the old place.

Katie said: “We wanted to expand and with more staff, we needed more space.

“We have two floors now, our ground floor itself is bigger than the old place and we now have an upstairs space too."

Members of the full Shabby to Chic salon team (Image: Supplied) The name of the salon came from a combination of identifying fashion and trends along with more practical needs.

Katie said: “We just thought ‘when people walk through the door, they often complain that they’re looking a bit on the shabby side, and at the time we were thinking of a name, it coincided with ‘shabby chic’ furniture being really popular.

“When we first opened, we started off with very little money and we didn’t think we’d get as far as we have with the salon, so we put our money in and bought ‘shabby chic’ furniture and old worn down items.

“I now refer to our old salon as shabby and this new one as chic!”

The salon premises in Front Street, Acomb (Image: Supplied) The salon has hit one of Katie’s goals, she said, as clients walking through the doors can choose a ‘top to toe’ service of treatments, following a programme of training for the team downstairs and the services offered by self-employed beauticians on the first floor.

(Left) BIAB (Builder in a Bottle) nails are offered at Shabby to Chic (Image: Supplied) She said: “We practically offer anything in the salon, with gel nails forming a big part of the services we offer.

“Our clients love that it’s a family-oriented place, where the whole family can come.

“It’s a welcoming environment, we become friends with our clients and have a laugh and everyone feels comfortable.”

“The nicest thing about owning a salon is the feedback you get, it might be emails, or reviews, or face to face.

“People telling you about what a visit to the salon does to them and the way that it makes them feel.

“We can see the success each day and the number of people we now have renting rooms also reflects our growth.

“A busy day is a huge achievement, and I get a real satisfaction with the buzz of the salon.

“I felt very good when we received the recognition from readers of The Press, but everybody works hard so we feel that this nomination is deserved.”